Memphis man dies after being infected by flesh-eating bacteria during trip to Florida Panhandle

A Memphis man, died this week after becoming infected by a bacteria, vibrio vulnificus, during a trip to the Florida Panhandle, his daughter wrote on Facebook.

Cheryl Bennett Wiygul said her father became infected with the bacteria after a day of splashing around in the water off of Destin. He seemed happy and talkative, she wrote in her Facebook post.

"About 4:00 a.m. Saturday morning, 12 hours after we were in the water, he woke up with a fever, chills and some cramping.... They got to the hospital in Memphis around 8 p.m. They took him back immediately. As they were helping him get changed into his hospital gown they saw this terribly swollen black spot on his back that was not there before," wrote Wiygul.

Over the next several hours, the man's condition worsened. His immune system had been weakened by a bout with cancer, his daughter said, and he died Sunday afternoon.

"He was gone by Sunday afternoon. Less than 48 hours after getting out of the water feeling great, the bacteria had destroyed him," Wiygul wrote.

Another Facebook she wrote, dated Sunday, showed a picture of her father, smiling amid the green waves.

It was captioned, "There will forever be a missing piece of our family but thank God for giving him to us, for this last week we all had together and for taking him home quickly. I am super jealous of Heaven today. My God I am going to miss my Daddy."

The man's lab results showed that the he had been infected with the bacteria vibrio vulnificus, his daughter wrote. The bacteria is among those that can cause the flesh-eating phenomenon known as necrotizing fascitis, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Per the CDC, vibrio vulnificus is common in coastal waters between May and October and can become a cause for concern after events such as hurricanes and tropical storms because of storm surge.

"I am absolutely not trying to scare people from the beach or swimming. I love the water and so did my Dad. People do need to know how to be more cautious and how to recognize symptoms. There is information out there but I didn’t find it all until it was too late," Wiygul wrote.